Press Release: Civil Rights in the 60s: Basketball and Race Relations

Forty-five years after Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous speech, a panel of legendary NBA players will discuss race relations and the impact of the Civil Rights Movement on their sport and vice versa. The players will address both their college and pro experiences, and there will be ample opportunity for questions from the audience. Panelists will include Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, flamboyant New York Knicks-Baltimore Bullets star who recently produced “Black Magic,” an ESPN documentary on the experiences of basketball players at historically black colleges; Knicks all-star Dick Barnett, who is now known as Dr. Barnett, having received a Ph.D. in education from Fordham University; the Boston Celtics great “Mr. Clutch” Sam Jones, who was named One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History; and Thomas “Satch” Sanders, who spent thirteen years with the Celtics and then received the Hall of Fame’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his subsequent coaching and mentoring accomplishments. The panel will be moderated by businessman Rudy Lombard, former CORE Executive Vice Chairman and veteran of the Civil Rights Movement. Free, but seating is limited and reservations are required. Reservations can be made at www.gc.cuny.edu/events, or by calling 212-817-8215.